


Hold your hand while dancing

by NetherBrickNick



Category: DreamSMP
Genre: Child Neglect, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Phil is a Bad Dad, Sam adopts small child, Sapnap is Sam’s roommate, Tommy needs a hug, tw for blood at the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28947333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NetherBrickNick/pseuds/NetherBrickNick
Summary: The last thing Sam expected from his day was to find a bloody teenager crying in an alleyway, but here he was.OrSam finds Tommy badly injured and after hearing about his home life, gives Tommy a place he can finally call home (and Dream Team is there too)
Relationships: Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 967





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I HAVE HAD THIS FIC IN MY DRAFTS FOR 3 MONTHS BABY!!
> 
> After watching the past few streams where Tommy and Sam bond, I decided it was the perfect time to start working on this fic again.

The last thing Sam expected from his day was to find a bloody teenager crying in an alleyway, but here he was.

“Are.... are you okay?” Sam kept his distance, trying not to startle the kid too much. 

Despite Sam trying not to be scary, the teen still looked up at him with fear in their eyes. He couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the kid, they were clearly hurt and needed help.

“You don’t have to answer just uh.... let me help you up,” Sam offered a hand. He half expected it to be smacked away, but he was surprised when the kid also reached out. 

Once he was standing Sam got a good look at him. He was tall, not as tall as him, and also very skinny. His face was bruised and blood stained his shirt. Sam knew better than to ask about it, his most important priority was to make sure the kid was safe. 

“Do you need help walking? My house is only a bit away,” Sam noticed the teen was slightly leaning to his side, that probably meant his leg was injured. 

The kid nodded slowly. Sam gave him a calm smile.

“That’s good, okay let’s-“

“You’re not going to hurt me, right?” 

Sam was a bit surprised he spoke up, not that it was a bad thing, he was just taken back by it. 

“No, you just need medical attention. Plus I.... I'm not just going to leave you,” Sam started walking out of the alley, making sure the teen was behind him. 

They started their walk back to Sam’s house, he knew it was a short way, but he was slightly worried that the other wouldn’t be able to walk all the way there without collapsing. He made sure to keep them close, in case they did end up falling over and needed someone to lean on. 

Luckily, Sam saw his house make its way into their view. He rushed them to the door and inside. 

“Go lay down on the couch, I’ll get the first aid kit.” Sam directed the kid to the couch, he could tell they were tired from the walk.

He rushed to his room and quickly grabbed the box from his closet. He ran back to the injured teen as fast as he could.

“Okay you’re going to need to tell me where your wounds are” Sam opened the box to show some gauze, bandages and disinfectant wipes. 

The other rolled up their sleeve to reveal a large open wound on their elbow. Quickly, Sam got the disinfectant wipes and cleaned the blood, he then got a large bandage and put it on them.

Sam helped the kid with the rest of their injuries, their forehead that had dry blood on it (he made a note to make sure it wasn’t a concussion later), a large wound on their knee, a cut on their lip and he cleaned the blood off their hands. 

“Okay all good dude!” Sam smiled at the kid, he was glad they were finally fixed up. “You probably need a clean pair of clothes too... uh I’ll get you some.” 

The kid smiled slightly, Sam guessed they were grateful to be getting out of the bloodied and dirty clothes. 

He knew that all of his clothes haven’t been washed in a while so that wasn’t an option. He checked his roommate’s room, Sapnap wasn’t home that often, so he probably had clean clothes he could give. 

He picked up a pair of plain black sweatpants and a white t-shirt that had a fire logo on it. 

“Here ya go,” Sam gifted the clothes to him, “You can change in my roommates room, he doesn’t come around often.” The teen nodded following Sam into the extra room.

“Well, I guess that’s really all. I’ll get som-“ Sam was interrupted but a sudden hug. He paused for a second before hugging back lightly.

“This never happened,” the kid pulled away quickly.

“Whatever you say bud, you should probably get some rest now” Sam watched the teen walk into the bedroom.

Sam walked into the kitchen, he needed food. He had gone the whole day just his small lunch from work. As he went though the fridge looking for something to eat he noticed how little food he had, he needed to ask Sapnap if he could go grocery shopping for him.

Oh right Sapnap.

Sam gave himself a mental face slap, he needed to tell Sapnap. Although Sapnap wasn’t around as often, he still had a right to know there was a kid that was now wearing his clothes and sleeping in his room. 

He closed the fridge door and pulled his phone out from his pocket. He looked through his contacts until he found his roommate. 

The phone rang a few times, Sam began to wonder if he would even pick up.

“Hey Sam,” Sam couldn’t tell if he was greatful or upset that he answered. 

“Hey Sap.... are you uh.... busy right now?” Sam cringed at how nervous he sounded, he just hoped Sapnap wouldn’t notice.

“Well I’m just at George’s house, you okay? I can head over if you need me to.” Sap’s tone was filled with concern.

“No need, it’s just um..” Sam knew he should just tell him what was going on, but he didn’t just want to pile it all on him. “Is it okay if someone else stays in your room?” 

The line was quiet for a second.

“Uh sure? Are you getting a new roommate? Damn already replacing me.” Sapnap said laughing, it was light hearted but didn’t help Sam’s nerves.

“Well not exactly,” Sam took a deep breath before continuing “I found some kid in an alleyway while on my way home from work. He was badly hurt but I’m not sure by what or who,”

“Holy shit Sam-“

“I’m going to try to talk to him when he wakes up, or at least get his name,” Sam could hear noise from the other side, he could tell two people were talking but clearly not to him. Then he heard the sound of a car door shutting and keys jumbling around. 

“Sam I’m gonna head over okay? I’ll be there in like.... uhh 5 to 10 minutes.” Sam wanted to object, but he knew deep down he did want Sapnap to help him.

“Okay, I’ll see you then” Sam almost hung up before he remembered he needed more food, “OH! Also get groceries! Okay now bye!” 

After Sam hung up he felt a wave of relief wash over him, he was glad he called, he did need to get everything off his shoulders.

He looked over to Sapnap’s door, the light had been turned off, he assumed that meant the kid was asleep. Sam really hoped the teen was okay, he hadn’t even gotten his name yet but knew he would go out of his way to protect the poor guy.

All he could do now to wait for Sapnap to arrive, they could come up with something in the morning to try and help the kid. 

_____________

Sapnap arrived 15 minutes after the call, immediately after Sam opened the door for him, he tacked him in a hug.

After they worked together to put the groceries away, they both decided it would be best to talk in the living room. 

“So do you know his name?” Sapnap got comfortable laying his head on Sam’s lap, he was always very affectionate with everyone, and Sam was happy to reciprocate that.

“Not yet, I think it would be best to ask at breakfast tomorrow,” Sam looked up at his clock that read the time as 1 am, “Or I guess today.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Sap cleared his throat a bit “What- uh…. what condition was he in?” 

Sam sighed, remembering the kid’s shirt that was covered in blood. 

“It was bad, I don’t think he needed to go to the hospital immediately, but we should probably take him when he wakes up,” Sam didn’t realize he had been putting his hands though Sapnap’s hair until he was done talking.

“What do you think happened?” Sap moved his head to look up at Sam, causing the other to move his hand from his hair.

“I’m not sure, I hope he’ll tell us with time.” 

Sap nodded, putting his head back down. 

They both were silent for a long while, Sam didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard the soft sores of Sapnap. 

He slowly moved Sap’s head off his lap and replaced it with a pillow, he was glad he was a heavy sleeper or it might have woken him up.

“Goodnight Sappy,” Sam placed a warm blanket on his sleeping friend.


	2. You had a speech, you’re speechless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Sap have a talk with the alley kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of with this chapter! This took me some time so i hope you enjoy :)

The next morning Sam made sure to get up before everyone else, he didn’t want the kid to wake up to see a stranger sleeping on the couch.

He got dressed and quickly made his way to the kitchen. Today was a Saturday, so that meant he wouldn’t have to go to work. Even if he did have to go, he would probably lie and say he was sick.

He decided to make pancakes for breakfast, he wasn’t sure if the kid had any food preferences, so pancakes would be a safe bet. 

Sam rummaged through all the cabinets looking for the ingredients. He was glad he got Sapnap to get groceries or he wouldn’t even have half the things he needed. 

He placed all the needed items on the counter. Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, egg and oil. He grabbed a large glass bowl he got from his mom and started mixing it all together. Sam made sure to preheat the stove for the pan as well.

He continued to stir the batter until he heard Sapnap walk into the kitchen. 

“Hey Sap, how did you sleep?” Sam turned his attention to his sleepy friend. Sapnap was still in his clothes from yesterday, having no access to his room to change. 

“I feel like yesterday was a-“ He interrupted himself with a yawn, “-fever dream, also my back hurts.”

“Well today is going to be a long one so you should fix up. Can you fold the blankets and clean off the table?” Sam politely asked. 

“Fine dad,” Sapnap teased. 

Sam laughed in amusement, to be fair, he was like a dad to a lot of his friends. He remembers when he used to pack Sapnap and his friends lunch when they would go out to a party. 

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by the creek of a door opening. He turned to see a blonde haired boy peeking out into the hallway. 

“Hey buddy,” Sam greeted the kid, “You can come out when you’re ready, I’m making food for you.” Sam held the bowl out proudly.

The teen exited their room slowly, they seemed like they were trying to be as quiet as possible. Sam tried not to make it obvious he was looking at what the other was doing, but he couldn’t help but want to keep an eye on the kid.

He changed his attention back to the food, he had finished stirring the batter at this point. The pan was heated up, so he started to slowly lower the batter onto it. 

“Who the fuck are you?”

Sam almost dropped the bowl out of surprise. 

He looked over at where the cussing came from, the teen was looking straight into Sapnap’s eyes. It was a strange contrast to the supposedly timid attitude he had before. Sam put down the bowl that he was holding and went over to the pair. 

“Let’s wait till I’m finished making breakfast, then we can all have a conversation not on an empty stomach,” Sam seemed to defuse the situation, not that anything bad was really happening. The other two sat down at the dining table.

The house was almost dead quite, the only sounds that could be heard was from the sizzling of the almost done pancakes. Sam half wished he made something easier like cereal. 

The pancakes had finally finished baking. Sam was quick to put them on a plate, he gave everyone only one each, if they wanted more he could make some. 

He placed the plates at the table where the other two sat. He also placed butter and syrup, just in case.

The kid picked at his food for a bit, Sam wasn’t sure why but he hoped the other didn’t think he poisoned it. Sapnap also seemed to notice the strange behavior, he gave Sam a look before eating his food.

Sam guessed Sapnap wanted both of them to eat first, he assumed it was so the teen would know it’s safe. As soon as both of them were eating, the kid chowed down on his food. 

He ate like a starving raccoon, Sam didn’t know if he was surprised or not. The kid was in an alleyway alone, but Sam had hoped deep down that he still had enough food. 

Unsurprisingly, the teen was the first to finish his food. 

“Do you want more?” Sam picked up his plate off the table. 

“Nope, I’m fuckin’ stuffed,” The kid laughed a bit at his swear.

Sam walked to the kitchen and placed the dish in the sink, planning on washing it later. He walked back over to the table, mentality preparing himself for the rough conversation he was about to have.

The table was quiet, Sam feared that the kid would just get up and leave. Sapnap wasn’t much a help either, Sam had to lightly smack his hand when he went on his phone. Sam took a deep breath before talking.

“So!” Sam cringed at his tone, “Uhh do you have a name?” 

Sam screamed at himself internally. He could have said literally anything and he asked such a stupid question-

“What kind of question is that? Everyone has a name. Maybe not pregnant women,” The kid paused looking up at the ceiling, “Oh! It’s babies who don’t have names, not pregnant people!” 

Sam looked to the side, he felt so lost. What the hell did he just hear? 

“What the fuck?” Sapnap loudly questioned.

The teen bursted into a loud laughing fit, he was holding his stomach while he leaned over because of how much he was laughing. After the laughing was over, the kid pretended to wipe a tear form his eye. 

“Sorry it's just-“ He interrupted himself with giggling “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good laugh.” 

“That’s understandable, now to rephrase my question earlier. What’s your name?” Sam asked lightheartedly, not trying to ruin the fun atmosphere.

The kid looked back up at the ceiling again, as if he had to think hard about his name. 

“I’m Tommy, I’m guessing you fellas have names to?” Tommy smiled at them.

“I’m Sam, and this is my roommate Sapnap.”   
“Sap for short” Sapnap finished for him. 

“What kind of a name is Sapnap? What are you a fucking tree?” Tommy teased, Sam laughed at the joke.

“What kind of name is Tommy? See its also stupid!” Sap snapped back playfully. 

Sam smiled at the two arguing in front of him, this Tommy kid had been with him for less than a day and he already managed to make a place in his heart, and the same for Sapnap too it seemed.

“Alright that’s enough, both of you.” Sam ended the petty fight between the two, it was going nowhere anyways. “We should probably talk about everything else going on,”

Sam watched Tommy sink into his chair, clearly not wanting to talk about it. 

“Tommy do you have anywhere to go? I’m not trying to kick you out, but if there is someone who is looking for you it would be good to know,” Sam wanted to keep everything light, but knew this conversation needed to be had.

“No I don’t, my dad didn’t even notice I left.” 

Sam nodded, Tommy was a run away. Not too surprising, the kid definitely seemed to be the type to think he could take on the world on his own. 

“I see, so you don’t have a place to stay?” Sam asked.

“Not if you count that shitty alley way I slept in a home,” Tommy joked, making Sam more concerned.

“If you really don’t have a place to stay, you can stay here with me. Sapnap barely sleeps here anyways.” Sam offered, he knew that he wasn’t going to be completely ready to give this poor kid a home, but Tommy had already managed to bring light into his life that he didn’t know he needed. 

Tommy’s once joking demeanor changed, he looked surprised, almost sad. Sam noticed his eyes seemed to get glossy, he would never bring it up however.

“Tommy?” Sapnap asked, trying to see if he was okay.

“You really mean it? You’re not kicking me out?” Tommy looked Sam in the eyes, Sam could feel his heart break just from how soft his voice was.

“Of course not bud, we probably need to clean out Sap’s room and get you some clothes. But you can stay here as long as you like,” Sam gave Tommy his kindest smile, he knew that there was going to need to be a lot done with the house, but for now he needs to focus on the current conversation.

“Okay, yeah- yeah I’ll stay here.” Tommy said it more to himself than to anyone else in the room. 

“Oh that's great! We need to do a few things to get for your room, but for now let’s all just take a break. Sap, you can take your clothes from your room and take a shower.” Sam looked over to Sapnap who nodded, “Tommy, you can sit on the couch while I get supplies to get you some clean bandages.”

“Oh right yeah,” Tommy looked at the wounds on his skin, looking at them like he forgot.

Everyone moved where they needed to, Sap was quick to gather his clean clothes and get in the shower. 

When Sam ran to grab the first aid kit, he noticed he was running low on items in there. He needed to get more soon, or he would be leaving Tommy with unclean bloody bandages, and no one wants that. He should probably start writing down everything he needs to do. 

Sam walked over to the couch where Tommy sat waiting for him. He held out his hand, gesturing for Tommy to give him his arm. Tommy placed his arm in Sam’s hands.

Sam slowly unwrapped the cut, then he grabbed a disinfecting wipe and cleaned off the rest of the blood. He noticed Tommy wince at the burning.

“Sorry about that.” Sam apologized.

“Pfft, that didn’t even hurt. I’m a big man, I don’t feel pain!” Tommy shouted, looking up as if he was giving a speech. His heroic attitude was quickly crushed by him wincing again at Sam putting new bandages on. 

“These are some pretty bad injuries,” Sam pointed out, now gesturing for Tommy to give him his leg, Tommy put his leg up. “You don’t have to, but do you mind telling me what happened?” 

Tommy sighed, he started rubbing his face with his hands. 

“It’s a long story, but to sum it up I got very lost from home and fell down a...” Tommy grumbled a bit before continuing, “I feel down a cliff,” 

“How did you survive that?” Sam finished cleaning off Tommys leg. 

“It wasn’t too big of a cliff, plus the only way to kill such a big man like me is for God to strike me down himself,” Tommy spoke with pride.

“If you say so,” Sam laughed, assumed by the kid’s antics. 

Sam finished replacing the bandages on Tommy, it went faster than he expected, maybe because Tommy’s ramblings made him work better. 

“All finished kid!” Sam stood up from the floor. 

“Don’t call me kid, I’m a very capable man!” Tommy also got up, moving to walk past Sam. 

Tommy went back into Sap’s room, well technically it was now Tommy’s but he would need to think about that another time. 

He felt oddly calm, like a huge weight had just been lifted off him. It was nice to not have a looming feeling over him. 

Even if he still had a lot to do to get Tommy settled, he was happy. Happier than he expected himself to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MORE FLUFF COMING SOON!  
> Hope this was good! Also thank you for everyone who commented on my last chapter, means a lot to me :)
> 
> I also might ask for chapter requests after the next chapter, I already have a few I’m going to write but I’d love to see what y’all want :D


	3. Gain the weight of you then lose it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap moves out of Sam’s house officially, and Tommy seems to be a bit bitter about it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THE END NOTES FOR THIS CHAPTER THANK YOU!!

It took about a day to get most of Sapnap’s things out of his room. Sam didn’t even realize how little Sap had, most of his stuff already being at his friends houses. 

It made Sam feel a little bitter, that Sapnap spent so little time with him that his room was cleaned out with ease. But he also understood, Sam has had roommates in the past who always seemed to be distant with him.

“Well, that's everything. You were a really great help Tommy!” Sam praised, Tommy had done a lot to help out with getting everything moved into boxes.

“Oh, thanks.” Tommy mumbled back. 

Sap walked into the living room, his phone was in his hand as if he just ended his call. 

“Dream said that most of my stuff is already at his house,” Sap looked at the boxes in front of him, “Oh nice, y'all finished it.” 

“I did all the work,” Tommy joked, pointing at his chest with pride.

“Dream’s coming by to pick up my stuff and me” Sapnap put his phone back into his pocket.

Sam gave him a concerned look, “I thought you were going to sleep in my room and I take the couch?” 

“Sam there is no way you’re going to be sleeping on the couch,” Sap walked over to Sam placing his hand on his shoulder, “Plus you know I already practically live with him, this just made the moving out process easier,” 

Sam sighed. It was true, that didn’t make it any less sad, but Sam thought he’d make the best of it. 

“Yeah I know, it’s going to be hard to watch you officially move out,” Sam tried his best to give Sap a happy smile.

“Well hey! At least now you got Mr. talkative over here to keep you company!” Sapnap moved over to Tommy, running his hands through his hair messing it up.

“Shut the fuck up Sapnap! At least I don’t move out the second something slightly inconveniences me!” Tommy slapped Sap’s hair away with his hands.

“Yikes, didn’t mean to strike a never there Thomas,” Sapnap teased back.

Sam noticed the strange tension between them. Even if Sapnap was being playful, Tommy looked a bit more genuinely upset. He wasn’t going to mention it though.

“Both of you knock it off,” He pulled Sapnap’s arm away from Tommy, “Sap stop acting like a child.”

Sapnap placed his hand on his chest and gasped loudly, pretending to be offered.

“How dare you! He started it!” Sapnap pointed at Tommy defensively.

“What the fuck I did not!! You’re a dickhead you know that!?” Tommy shouted back.

Their pitiful fight was interrupted by someone knocking on their door. Sam was about to answer it before Sapnap rushed ahead of him.

“Dream! My man!” Sapnap shoved the door open and hugged the person on the other side.

“Hey Sap!” Dream’s tone was happy, “It’s good to see you dude!” 

“You both saw each other yesterday,” Sam commented.

“Yeah but I still missed him,” Dream walked more into the house, looking around as if it was his first time seeing it, “And it’s good to see you too Sam.”

Sam smiled at Dream, both gave a quick hug, Dream let go first.

“Is this the kid you talked about?” Dream looked past Sam at Tommy.

“I’m standing in front of you asshole!” Tommy shot up his hands up and crossed them on his chest.

Dream laughed before walking over to the angry teen, he stuck out his hand.

“I’m Dream, it’s nice to meet you” Dream sounded kind, probably wanted to give a good first greeting.

“That’s a stupid name, what’s up with everyone I know having weird fucking names?” Tommy turned to Sam, “Not you Sam, your name is normal,” 

Dream kept looking at Tommy, his eyes scanning him like he was hiding something. Sam wanted to interrupt, saying it was rude to stare, but he was more confused as to why Dream seemed so confused.

“Do I know you?” Dream asked, still looking at Tommy up and down.

“Uhhhh no?” Tommy kept his eyes low, not looking up at Dream.

“What is your name again?” 

“Tommy.”

“Right, yeah I don’t think I know you,” Dream turned his attention back to Sapnap, “We should probably get going, I’ll help bring your stuff in the car,” 

“Oh we’ll help to, Tommy do you mind grabbing-“

“I need to go to the bathroom, take a big shit you know!” Tommy rushed out of the living room. 

“Right, well I’ll help then,” Sam picked up two of the boxes.

_____

It took 10 minutes to get everything into Dream’s Car and for Sapnap and Sam to say their goodbyes.

The entire time Sam couldn’t stop thinking about how abrupt Tommy’s storm out was. He guessed it was what Dream had said, but the teen also seemed upset before Dream even got there.

Sam sighed, he knew that something was clearly making Tommy feel the need to leave, but he didn’t know what it was.

He just needed to talk to Tommy. That seemed to be the best solution to figure out what made the teen so upset earlier.

He stood up from the table he was sitting at. He knew the only way to understand why Tommy was upset was to talk to him.

He made his way to Tommy’s door, he paused a bit before knocking. He need a bit of time to think about what he wanted to say.

What if Tommy thought he was being intrusive? What if he just made his mood worse by asking? Maybe it was a personal thing and he was being nosy.

He took a deep breath, those thoughts were irrational. He needed to push his anxieties aside and try to help Tommy, that was his goal. He knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Tommy’s loud voice responded. 

“Hey Tommy, uh Sap and Dream left a bit ago,” Sam stepped into the room, even with all of Sapnap’s things gone it still looked basically the same as before.

“Oh good, I never wanna see Sapnap’s stupid face around here again,” Tommy laughed a his joke, Sam noticed the sad tone that Tommy was trying to hide.

“Are you okay?” 

“Wha- me?” Tommy looked surprised, as if Sam could be talking about anyone else.

“Yeah you, you seemed stressed earlier when you left” Sam sat down on the bed next to Tommy, “I just wanna make sure everything’s okay.”

Tommy sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“I’m fine it’s just...” Tommy didn’t look up at Sam, “I hate Sapnap with every bone in my body, but him just leaving because of me feels.... I don’t know”

Tommy stopped talking, Sam could tell he wanted to say more but didn’t want to pressure him. 

“It’s okay not to know, hell I don’t know how I feel half the time,” Sam smiled at Tommy even though the other wasn’t even looking at him, “But if you do ever need to talk about anything I am here for you,” 

“Thanks Sam. Seriously, that means a lot.” Tommy fidgeted with his clothes. 

“Anytime, now this room is looking a bit.... bare. How about we go on a shopping trip and get you some clothes and furniture?” Sam stood up from the bed.

“Really? Well I’m not one to object to getting free things.” Tommy paused, “I don’t have to pay you back right?” 

“Of course not, it’ll be fun!”

“Okay fine let’s go,” Tommy stood up with Sam, his smile matching his

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS:   
> Okay so the next chapter to going to be a bit of a time skip, Tommy is already settled into Sam’s house so like about a week or 2 from the present time! 
> 
> sorry this took so long, I promise the next chapter won’t take this much time to finish :)
> 
> (Also the chapter titles are all Taylor swift lyrics so hello to any swifties reading this I hope you have a wonderful day)


	4. maybe I’ve stormed out of every single room in this town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam struggles with trying to help Tommy with his emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay quick note here, I started this story before Sam reviled he was lying about his height (all men do is lie /j) so canonically Sam is still 6’7 in this story.

Sam wasn’t sure when Tommy’s nicknames for him had started.

It just became a normal thing between them. Tommy seemed to almost never run out of them too. 

Obviously Sam didn’t have a problem with them at all. In fact, Sam thought it was very sweet of Tommy to do. He couldn’t help but feel pride swell up in his chest every time he heard a “Sammy” or a “Sam-I-Am.” 

It was when Sam was making dinner when he thought of the idea to maybe start calling Tommy nicknames. It could be a fun thing between them, Tommy already claimed the title of nickname-master, but it couldn’t hurt if Sam joined in on the fun.

Sam thought about certain nicknames that could work. Technically Tommy was already a nickname, presumably of the names Tom or Thomas.

He was snapped out of his head by the pasta in the pot starting to boil, he quickly changed his attention to their dinner and decided to put the nickname thoughts to a halt until after he finished cooking. 

It didn’t take too long for him to drain the pasta and add sauce to it, then putting it in two bowls for him and Tommy. He couldn’t help the smile on his face form as he did it. He was so used to cooking just for himself, occasionally Sapnap but most of the time they just had takeout together, he forgot how nice it was to make food for someone else.

“TOMMY! DINNERS READY! COME BEFORE ITS COLD!” Sam shouted across the house, hoping it would reach the other’s room.

“COMING SAM!” Tommy’s yell back to him was just as loud as his yell, if not louder. 

Sam placed both bowls on the table with silverware next to them, he patiently waited for Tommy, not wanting to eat without him. 

“Hey Big-man-Sam,” Tommy greeted sitting down in his chair at the table, his grin wide.

“Hello Tommy, I made Fettuccine with Alfredo sauce tonight” Sam picked up his fork and started eating, Tommy did the same.

Sam forgot how nice eating with someone else was. He normally ate alone in his room, but having Tommy around really changed that. Before Tommy the last time he ate at a table with others was visiting his mother, and that was a few months ago. It reminded him of family.

“You know my New Year's resolution this year was to be more like 2010 Justin Bieber,” Tommy said out of the blue, Sam laughed.

“Really?” He questioned.

“Yeah, he was my age then, so I thought, might as well just be him!” Tommy shoved more food into his mouth.

“I don’t think the bowl cut would fit you,” Sam smiled, this was nice.

“I think I would look spectacular,” Tommy put emphasis on the word spectacular, trying to get his point across. “You should never judge a book by its cover Sammy,” 

Sam was going to point out how that metaphor didn’t really work in this scenario, but he was distracted by the nickname. He remembered the idea to call Tommy something in return, maybe something stupid like “Tomathy.” That one might be a bit too stupid.

He took another bite of his pasta. Maybe something simple, like “Toms,” yeah that could work. 

He felt like laughing at himself for thinking about this too much, it was just a nickname he didn’t need to go too deep into it.

“I’m stuffed, thanks for the dinner big S,” Tommy sat up and grabbed his empty bowl.

“Oh I’ll put it in the sink for you,” Sam took Tommy’s bowl and his own and walked to the kitchen. 

“Thanks Sam,” Tommy started walking back to his room.

“No problem, Toms.” 

Tommy stopped walking, frozen in place. Sam noticed Tommy’s still state, he didn’t want to snap him out of it, knowing that would probably do more harm than good.

“Tommy, you okay?” Sam kept his tone quiet, not trying to startle the other.

“Wil-“ Tommy said the name so quietly Sam almost didn’t hear it.

“Tommy?” Sam walked closer to him.

Tommy shot his head up at Sam, snapping out of his space out. 

“Sorry about that.... I uh,” Tommy avoided Sam’s eyes, “My brother used to um... call me Toms when I was sad,” 

“Oh, that’s my fault I didn’t know,” Sam apologized, he assumed the brother Tommy was talking about must have been the name he muttered.

“I’ve just been missing him recently, but I know he doesn’t miss me,” Tommy swallowed a lump in his throat. 

Sam didn’t reply, he didn’t know enough about Tommy’s life before he took him in, he didn’t want to say something that might upset him more.

“I’m going to my room, I’m tired.” Tommy ran out of the hallway and slammed his door behind him.

Sam sighed. Long day.

———

Sam laid in his bed, looking up at his popcorn ceiling. 

He was stuck thinking about the conversation with Tommy, how much it resembled the last time something bad happened. It was like when Sapnap was moving out all over again. Something upsetting happens, Tommy goes and runs back to his room. 

Sam couldn’t help but feel a bit upset that Tommy would just leave instead of talking to him, but maybe that’s what he’s used to.

Maybe Tommy was used to having to leave situations that caused a lot of emotion and retreat somewhere safe until it’s forgotten about. That would explain why he was surprised when Sam asked him if he was okay before. 

Sam rolled over onto his side, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. 

He felt tired, but knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he talked to Tommy about the nickname thing. But waking the kid up would be unfair on him, he needed to sleep too.

So Sam’s only solution to not being able to sleep, to just get up and bake. 

He rolled out of his bed, groaning as he did so, and put on his slippers before walking out of his room.

He crept out of the hallway and into the kitchen. He opened his cupboards looking for the pumpkin pie mix he had stored away. Pumpkin pie had always been his favorite sense he was a kid. Every year at Christmas he and his mother would make it together. She would talk about how her own mother taught her and how her grandpa taught her mother and so on.

It became a family tradition, he remembers his mother’s joke, “it gets better every generation” when they finished their first pie together. 

He probably should call her, give her an update about his life, but that was a difficult conversation on its own. He could only stress about one thing at a time.

He continued to dig through his food, looking for the ingredients to start making the crust. He could only find a stick of butter and salt before deciding to give up on the pie. Although it would have been the most comforting thing to bake, he clearly needed to go back to the grocery store.

As he was placing the butter back he heard the soft creek of a door opening. He snapped his head to the hallway. 

“Hello?” He quietly asked into the still air.

“You’re still awake big man?” Tommy's tired and sludgy voice replied.

Tommy walked into Sam’s view from the kitchen, he was wearing Sapnap’s shirt from when he first arrived at the house and didn’t have clothes. Sam assumed it was a comfort thing, or that Tommy just didn’t have other clean clothes.

“Why are you still up?” Sam’s question was more confused than international, he had thought Tommy went to sleep a few hours ago.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Tommy yawned out, he was very clearly tired.

“Me neither bud,” Sam moved over to the counter, he pushed himself to sit on top of it. “I was actually meaning to talk to you in the morning but you’re already awake,” 

Tommy gave Sam a weird look. Sam didn’t know how to describe the look, but it was definitely more than one emotion.

“I’m too tired for serious conversations,” Tommy started going through Sam’s cabinets, “You got any brownie mix?” 

Sam hopped off the counter, he looked over Tommy’s head seeing some it in the far back. 

“Yep,” He reached over Tommy and grabbed it, “Wanna make some?” 

“Hell yes,” 

_____

To Sam’s surprise, Tommy was pretty good at baking. Not that he expected him to be bad at it, he was just expecting to have to teach Tommy more. 

They sat on the kitchen countertop together, both eating their plate of brownie. Tommy had just finished scarfing down his first brownie and reached for a second. Sam thought about telling him not to eat more considering how late it was, but decided not to. They were both eating late and who was he to stop Tommy’s fun.

“You know, I learned how to bake from a babysitter I had once” Tommy placed the brownie piece on his plate.

“They must have been a good teacher,” Sam complemented.

“Heh yeah, she was great.” Tommy shoved more food in his mouth, “She became good friends with my brother too,” 

Sam nodded, as much as he wanted to offer Tommy comfort he wasn’t sure how. He placed down his plate.

“Tommy, I want to tell you something,” Sam looked at the boy who was still shoving chocolate in his mouth.

“All ears big man,”

“I want you to know that I really care about you, and I care about your emotions and feelings,” Sam paused letting Tommy process what he was saying, “I never want you to feel the need to have to run away from your feelings. If you ever, and I mean ever, need to tell me something or just want to tell me something, I will be here for you.” 

“Oh” 

Tommy was silent, not saying or doing anything. Sam worried he scarred him a bit, maybe his speech was too much on Tommy. He should have thought it through more. Tommy’s probably upset with him-

“Promise?” Tommy held out his pinky, asking for a pinky promise.

Sam chuckled at the childish gesture, but brought up his pinky as well,

“Promise.” 

Tommy let go first, jumping off the counter. 

“Well that’s enough sappy shit for the week, I’m going to bed,” Tommy walked into the hallway, “Night Sammy!”

“Goodnight Tommy,” 

Sam smiled as he jumped off the counter and grabbed both his and Tommy’s plate, washing them in the skin.

It was Progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love promising Fluff and then adding in Angst because I can >:)
> 
> Anyways hope this chapter was good! Had lots of fun writing it and I love all of you for reading and supporting this story! Really keeps me motivated :D ❤️
> 
> EDIT: Forgot to add!!! Next chapter will be Tommy’s POV!!

**Author's Note:**

> There are going to be more chapters for this fic! So stay tuned :D


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